Greeting, my creative friends!Every once in a while “my local JoAnn store” comes up here, in various topics, and with various tones. It’s not easy to find how to address these concerns to the corporate folks who could actually “do something about it”, so for those who want to go beyond just preaching to the choir, here’s the direct link to the JoAnn Contact Us page: http://www.joann.com/joann/help/contact_email_store.jsp There’s a comments form, mailing address and phone number to Corporate HQ there. Please share your concerns (and your pleasures!) with them. (The page takes a while to load) Kharmin
Edited 6/7/2009 8:42 pm by KharminJ
Replies
Kharmin,
Thanks for the link. I've had some luck with Jo
Anne by contacting the manager. A client had purchased fabric, but had not purchased enough. JoAnne had bought a 'lot' that included 5 bolts of various colors. Unfortunately, none of the 'lots' had the same shades of the colors...some goof with the dye lots...and it was impossible to purchase more of the fabric my client had bought. JoAnne offered to give a complete refund to my client. After all of that, the client decided to keep the fabric and have different garment made!
I am loading the link as I am writing this. I am going to ask them to start carrying higher end fabric, as they did back in the '70's. With so many of the non-chain fabric stores closing their doors, it would behoove them to pick up that end of the fabric business. Perhaps if all of us at 'Gatherings', who 'refer to our local JoAnne', would contact them and do the same, we might get some results. They say there is power in numbers....and there is a large number of us who complain here about the lack of selection at our local JoAnne. Any takers???????
Deb
Ding! Ding! Ding! Give that lady a rose! (grin!) ...Perhaps if all of us at 'Gatherings', who 'refer to our local JoAnn', would contact them and do the same, we might get some results ...My pettest peeve right now is the vast array of "only vaguely related to sewing and crafting" stuff that takes up so much display space! Mine (a superstore) just got in half an aisle of furniture! Furniture?!? Do they think they're competing with Target? This is the kind of issue that *must* go up the food chain, from the customers - I doubt that many managers are happy about it, either, but it's a Corporate Buyer's decision, and the stores can't just "send it back".Thank you for your interest and support!Kharmin
You are so welcome...but you put the idea in my head with the link. I've posted quite a few times about the selection of fabric that JoAnn carries now. Back in the 70's their fabric selection was actually pretty good. How are we supposed to gain the interest of new/young sewers if all they have to work with is crappy fabric??
Most new sewers and many of us who have sewn for yrs. get the 'bug' to sew, want to go buy the fabric, run home and start sewing. You can't do that if you have to order fabric online. Too much preplanning! I want to feel the fabric before I purchase it. If I want something specific online, I have to order a sample, then wait for it to arrive before I can order the yardage...then wait til it arrives before I can begin sewing. Heck, by that time I may be in the middle of sewing for a client...or, face it, at our ages we could have had a stroke, heart attack, or even be gone by the time it arrives! Nope! I really want to go to my local store, not travel 70 mi. or more to find the fabric I want...When I want it, I want it NOW!!! The JoAnn company would be really stupid to ignore the advantages of carrying what we want in our local stores.
Deb
Somebody somewhere must be buying the furniture. My Hancock's sells furniture, too, and tons of "furnishings" (bric-a-brac.) I bet at least 1/4 of the store is made up of furniture and stuff is that is purely decorative. If it didn't sell, I'm guessing it woudn't be there. But I'm with all of you. Let's let Michael's and Hobby Lobby have the purely craft stuff, and Target sell the furniture and stuff that's purely for making your house pretty, and let the fabric stores sell FABRIC!
The difference between the JoAnn's and the Hancock fabrics in my neighborhood is that the Hancock merchandisers are smart enought to place the home decor items near the home dec fabrics and notions. In JoAnn's it seems like their buyers are neither sewers nor crafters, based on the way the store is merchandized. It's brand new... but already they are loosing the battle of keeping the store clean and organized.
BouClair, our CDN equivalent to your JoAnne's went the same road! Now they sell mostly home fashion accessories! Not a stitch of fabric to be seen! Some of the Fabricland stores are going towards the Home Dec fabrics, and the lines of good dress fabrics seem to be dying a slow death as well! Small shops are bringing in larger lines of quilter's cottons, which is great for quilters, but not so great for those who mainly sew apparel. You cannot buy what you cannot get! If you do not tell the head offices of the chains what you want, you cannot change the buyers buying habits. They will continue to buy what is selling out the cash. When you write to the head office, tell them how much you have spent on what types of fabrics in the last year at other online stores and other places. Provide them with copies of receipts, and let them know that you would rather support your local store. Do the same with your local favorite fabric stores! Prove to them that you want to spend. Money talks. Cathy
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